Islamic and Ethical Finance in the United Kingdom

Elaine Housby is an independent researcher and freelance writer with a special interest in religious thinking about economic matters. She obtained a PhD on the topic of Islamic finance in the UK and is the author of Islamic Financial Services in the United Kingdom, also published in the Edinburgh Guides to Islamic Finance series.

• Introduction; Discussion of the Term ‘Ethical’; The Basic Principles of Islamic Finance; An Outline of Christian Thought on Finance; Christian Attitudes to Money; Christian Views on Charging Interest; The Social and Political Role of the Churches; Christian Attitudes to the Welfare State; Protestant Ethics and Islamic Modernity; The Rationale for This Book; Retail Banking; The Major Banks; The Co-operative Bank; The Post Office; Triodos Bank; Kingdom Bank; The Implications of Other Forms of Ethical Retail; Banking for Islamic Retail Banking; Investment Funds; Overview of the Ethical Investment Sector; Some Common Concerns; Friends Stewardship Fund; Triodos Funds; Ecclesiastical Funds; Church of England Investments Group; The Implications of Other Ethical Investment; Policies for Islamic Investment Funds; Mutual Associations; The History of Mutuals; Ecology Building Society; Yorkshire Building Society; Gentoo Genie; The Implications of Secular Ethical Home Finance for Islamic Finance; Debt and Credit; Indebtedness from an Ethical Perspective; The Present Situation; Christians Against Poverty; Credit Unions; Extreme Riba in the Present Day; The Implications of the Wider Credit and Debt Situation for Islamic Financial Services; Social Enterprise; The Political Climate; Islam and Social Enterprise; Case Studies of Social Financial Services Businesses; Fair Finance; Zakat House; Charity Bank; An Example of a Conflict of Ethical Policies; The Implications of the Social Enterprise Sector for Islamic Finance; Charities; The Regulation of Charities; Some Issues for Islamic Charities; Waqf; Zakat and Tithing; Charity Investments and Fundraising; The Implications of the Work of Islamic Charities for:; Other Forms of Islamic Finance; The Concerned Consumer; The Islamic Shopper; Islamic Environmentalism; Ethical and Halaal; The Boycott of Israel; The Implications of the Wider Ethical Consumer Movement for the Islamic Sector; Conclusion; Some Difficulties With the Term ‘Ethical’; Niche Brand or Radical Reform Movement; Lessons for Islamic Finance; The Future.